Car construction



D. HNDAHL CAR CONSTRUCTION Juy 9, 1935.

Filed Sept. 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Juy 9, 1935. D. HiNDAHL CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed sept. 2, 195s Patented July 9, 1935Y cargar o FFICE cAn coNsrnUc'rroN David Hindahl,` Chicago, Ill.,'assignor to Harry S.

- v Hart,4 Chicago, Ill.

Application september .2, 1933, serial No., 687,953 Y 7 ciaims. (ctms-409) This invention relates to a new and improved car construction and more particularly to a car wall construction especially adapted foruse in connection with cars of the hopper type.

z The new and improved car wall construction of `this invention produces the combined advantagesV ofV maximum capacity and externally positioned side wall stakes and although the invention is intended for application for newly built cars, it is also adaptedfor application to cars of a type now in existence having'inside stakes whereby through the application of this invention to such cars, new and improved wall constructions mayjbe provided withoutaltering the under structure nor the bottom chords of the car, but by merely applying and attaching' the newly constructed walls.

In cars of the hopper type, the load containing capacity is limited by the clearance diagram of the cars together with the standard height of the top of the hoppers. constructed of metal plates and in order to provide therequisite strength, the plates are supportedv by vertically extending stakes located along the side and end walls. kThe stakes are attached to top and bottoml chords which with the stakes constitute the wallV frame construction.k Heretofore in endeavoring `to increasethe capacities of, cars of this type, somehave been built with the stakes mounted inside of the Ycar walls,'which enables the placement of the -wall plates in theY maximum outward position fpermitted by the limiting dimensions for car width. Such construction however, produces a serious disadvantage in Ythat it` exposes the side stakes to wearand damage and deterioration by rust. The material carriedin the `car wears against the stakes in loading and unloading and the protective painting is Worn off which'exposesithe stakes to the moisture Yin the load with the resulting deterioration and damage.

vThis objection is 'very' serious because the stakes constitute a vital part of the supporting frame construction and damage'thereto consti-l tutes a'serious impairment of the Vstrength and serviceability of the car in use. .1""urthermore,`

whereas the wall plates can be replaced relatively cheaply and by simple operations, the replacement of the stakes. as a. part of the Vcar irame is anv expensive and more diflicult'operation. Besides lweark and deterioration of the plates Ldo not weaken or impair thesupporting frame structure of the car. A

l vlt will therefore appearfthat thedesigners and builders-of cars'zhave been confronted with two The hopper walls arel conflicting diicultieathe rst of which is the objection Vto less than maximum capacities as occasioned when the stakes are placed on the outside of the walls in orderto provide the desired protection for the stakes, and, secondly, the undesirable damage and deterioration of the stakes as a partY o2 the car framev when the stakes are placed on the inside of thecar walls so to afford Ythe ,maximum vcapacity produced when the wall plates are positioned approximately at 10A the plane of the outer limiting dimensions of the car. q 1 1 Prior to this invention cars of both types have beenconstructed and Used by the railroads. In those instances where maximum capacity was less important, Vthe stakes were placed externally for the protection benefit but with a considerable usacrince in load capacity. l In recent years, however,` increased capacity has become more important with the result that morerecent designs provide for outwardly placed walls and internally placed stakes wherebyy the maintenance and strength of the car frame is sacrificed and damage and deterioration of the stakes is suffered in order to securerthe wanted advantage of increasedrcapacity.

The bottom supporting chord of car constructions of this typerare usually of angle cross-section having a vertical flange placed in the proper plane to permit the ready attachment thereto of the bottom ends of the wall stakes while at the same time providing a longitudinally extending attachment for 4the lower edges of the side Wall plates. Accordingly, those cars of reduced capacity having outside stakes have been provided 35 with lower chords as a part of their under con- Y struction which are placed slightly inwardly of the maximum outside planeV of the car so as to abut against the innersurface of the side stakes and serve as an attaching flange for the bottom end of thewall plates. In this case,-the bottom frame chords were placed' inwardly by the 'depth of the car stakes. `On the otherV hand, those cars. having maximum capacity with the stakes on the inside have been designed with bottom chords placed outwardly'. so thatY the Vertical flange thereof would abut against the outside surface of Y the stakes and provide attachingflanges for the body both advantages of capacity and protection so that the stakes could be placed externally to provide the desirable protection while at the same time, the wall plates could be positioned in the plane of the maximum width of the car so as to provide a maximum capacity, Such construction affords both advantages without the disadvantages previously attending such benets.

Such a construction is disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 1,623,591, issued April 5,1927, to Harry S. Hart, the assignee of this application. The disclosure of this patent however, shows and describes a car having an underframe of the type designed for external stakes or in other words, a

car having an underframe of the early design as n for cars of reduced capacity with wall plates on the inside of the stakes vand with lower frame chords disposed inwardly from the plane of maximum permissible Width.

By referring to the disclosure of said patent it will be noted that the wall plates are provided at their bottom edges with inturned portions for attachment to the vertical flange of the bottom chord so that a relatively simple and efficient construction is provided with all of the marginal attaching portions of the wall plates disposed in an inner plane to conform to the manner of attaching the inwardly disposed plates of the prior car designs but withl their central portions delected outwardly to occupy a position substantially in the plane of the outer dimension of the car.

However, the teachings of said patent do not readily apply to the typev of car having underframes constructed for inside stakes which have their lower chords disposed with their vertical flanges substantially in the plane of the outside dimensionV of the car. Application of the teachings of said patent to the cars of the type last mentioned involves serious and undesirable alterations at the lower edges of the plates and necessitates undesirable openings or exposure of vparts to permit the attachment of the lower edges of the side wall platestothe more widely spaced vertical flanges of the lower chord. If the undesirable openings through the plates are to be avoided, then the lower edges of the stakes at the point of attachment to the lower chord must be exposed to the interior of the car, or if this is to be avoided, then some special expensive and unwanted covering plates or the like, must be provided.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a side wall construction which is adapted for application to cars having their lower frame chords more widely spaced than are the chords of the car disclosed in said patent, whereby cars of this type may be built as new cars or the walls hereof may be applied to that type of car having maximum capacity with internal stakes to provide the added advantage of protection of the stakes, without in any wise altering or changing the underfra'rne construction. When this invention is applied to previously existing cars, it is only necessary to remove the old walls and apply the wall construction of this invention which can be immediately attached tothe under chord and frame parts from which the old wall was removed. The original gusset plates placed internally of the car are perfectly adapted for attachment to the new Wall and if desired, the upper chord can also be used; Furthermore, the new wall construction of this invention is provided with slanting shedding surfaces for all of the internally projecting portions thereof whereby complete and efficient unloading of the car is realized when the car is inverted by unloading apparatus now in common use. Y

In applicants co-pending application, Serial Number 684,845, filed VAugust 12, 1933, there is shown one form of car construction which is designed to accomplish substantially the same objects of this invention except however, in said copending application, the wall plates are placed inwardly of the plane of the maximum permissible side dimension to the extent of the height of rivets and the like, which are necessarily outside of the car wall. This invention therefore, is a modification of the invention of said co-pending application and differs therefrom in that the plates are so constructed as to bring their main portions in the plane of the maximum side dimension with provision for attaching rivets and the like in indentations in the wall surface.

The nature of this invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, one preferred embodiment thereof, and in which;

Figure 1 represents a side elevational view of the body of a hopper car constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view showing a portion of the wall construction and taken on the line A-A of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken on the line B-B of Figure 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the use of standard gusset plates.

Figure 4 is a perspective view with portions of the car frame broken away and disclosing the construction of the side wall plate, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 4 showing the side stake in cross section in its assembled relationship with the bottom chord and side plate.

By referring to the drawings, it will be noted that the bottom chord Il is in the form of an angle supportwith the vertical flange thereof positioned in a plane near the maximum outward dimension of the car. The upper chord l2 is of usual construction having a downwardly extending flange |3,`disposed inwardly for attachment to the inner surface of the stakes and to provide an attaching flange for the upper edge of the side wallplates which are disposed inwardly as clearly illustrated in Figure 3.

Side wall plates I4 may be of any suitable width depending upon the desired construction of the car and as here illustrated, the three end plates are of less width than the central plates. It is preferable, but not necessary, that each of the plates be of sufficient width to occupy the space between stakes and therefore the width of the plates may be selected according to the number and spacing of the stakes required for the desired frame construction. Each of the plates has a top flange l5 disposed in the inner plane and side flanges I6 and I1 respectively, also disposed in the inner plane and which are made continuous with the main panel or panels I8, of the wall plate by off-setting surfaces I9 and 2S, preferably inclined, as shown. It is highly desirable to have the upper surface 2D inclined `so as to provide the necessary shedding action when the car is inverted in the usual unloading operation.

The lower edge 2| of the plate is disposed in a plane outwardly of the plane of the flanges l5, i5, and l1 and near the plane of the maximum width dimension of the car so that it is disposed in proper position for attachment to the tecting plate for thelower chord VI'I.

vertical-j flange of theI bottom" chord "Il, The

loweredge 2lf howeveig'is disposedslightly inspectively, so as-to join continuouslyrwith they lower edge 2l. of f-theplate.. Thel -rnain panels i8 al'sdjoin'v continuously `with rthe lower edge Zithrough the'inclined portions 36. 1

As illustrated'in FigureiZythe platesV are adapted to be placed side byf'side, to form. the continuous wall of the Vcar and are` preferably mounted with; `their i side anges I i6' "and ll in overlapping Vrelation and attached by@ suitable means, such as rivets 24, to the vertical stakesV 25.1' i

The stakes of this invention are preferably constructed in the manner illustrated the drawings so as to comprise an angle support Vhavingv a flange 2B inthe inner plane for the attachment of the wall plates and the flange I3 of the upper' chord i2, and anoutwardlyr extending ange 21 which terminates in the plane ofv the maximum permissible dimension of thecar. .It will be noted strength, an `enlargement 32 may be provided along vthe edge of the `flange 2l throughout the central and upper portion thereof;

As shown in Figuresl 3, 4, and 5, the finner plate 33 which is now utilized in the standard car constructions of the type herein referred to, may be retained exactly as before, soV as to providea shedding surface and a covering and pro- The upper edge ofthe vertical flange'of the lowerV chord Il.,

may be covered byextending the plate 33 or it may be protected'by p-aint'or other material applied thereto.v YThis`r`1arrow edge can be readily protected in practices@ as to avoid exposure of the frame parts to the load in the car.

.As-shown -in-Fig-ures 1, 2, and 4, this invention difiersfrom the invention of applicants co-pending application referred to, in that the main portion of the side pl-ates, that is to say, the panels i8, are disposed in the plane of the maximum permissible width dimension of the car so that the panels i8 extend outwardly to a small extent beyond the plane of the bottom edge 2|. Those plates located'adjacent the central region of the car and'to which the gusset plates shown in Figure 3 are attached, are provided at their central portion with a vertically disposed indentation 35, the surface of which is in the same plane as the bottom edge ZI.- The difference between the plane of the bottom edge 2| or the vertical indentation 35 and the plane of the outer panels I8 of the plate is just that of the height of the heads of the rivets required for attaching the gusset and similar parts to the plates. VThis is clearly illustrated in Figure 3. Accordingly, this invention increases the capacity of the car to some extent beyond the capacity of v the'v -car illustrated in said co-pending Vapplication, as it provides side plates, the major portion of which are actually in the plane of thel maximum width dimension. At thesame time, the

bottom edge Vis so Vconstructed as to be disposed in-,an outer plane properly located for attachment to the bottom chord Ilwhile the topand side flanges l5, I6, and Il, are disposedinwardllyfor attachment to the inner surface ofthe side stakes and the `depending flange perchord'lZ. i Y

From the above construction, it will be noted that a car of substantially maximum capacity is provided by virtue of the fact that the wall plates arefor1the most part, disposed in the plane of the-maximum width of the car while atthe same time, the side wallstakes are vexterior of the plates and are thereby entirely protected from the contents oi the car and damage and deterioration occasioned when the stakes are placed internally.

VFurthermore, this invention differs from the invention illustrated in Patent No. 1,623,591, above referred to, in that it is particularly adapted ipr the type of car having more widely spaced lower chords, so that the side wall plates have'a bottom edge in an outward plane for attachment to the upward flange of the lower chords and so as to afford a simple and efficient construction with the stakes disposed externally of the wall. f

I3 of the up- VIt will readily appear from Figure 3 that the wall construction here provided is adapted to be supported with the standard gusset plates now employed in the type of car having external 'stakes and outwardly placed wall plates whereby it is`fonly necessary in converting standard cars, to remove the old wall and attach the new wall construction. In building new cars no alteration is necessary in the frame construction, gusset plates, and like standard parts as the wall lends itself perfectly to application to standard car constructions of the type referred to.

Iclaim: i n

l. A wall plate for railway Acars having top and side -marginal portions disposed in an inward plane anda central main portion disposed in afparallel outward plane and a bottom marginal portion disposed inf a plane parallel to but intermediate saidiirstv two planes, inclined marginal portions joining said side and bottom marginal 'portions and other portions joining said central main portion and said top, bottom and side 'marginal portions respectively.'

2. A railway car of the character described having in combination a frameY comprising upper and lower chords and side stakes connected between said chords, said upper chord having a wall plate attaching flange disposed in an inward vertical plane, said lower chord having a wall plate attaching flange disposed in an intermediate plane located outwardly of said rstnamed plane, and said stakes having wall plate attaching portions disposed in said inward plane and inclined portions extending from said inward plane to said intermediate plane; and a wall plate for said frame having top andside marginalv portions disposed in said inward plane and attached to said upper chord flange and said inwardly disposed portions of said side stakes respectively, and a central main portion disposed in an outward plane located outwardly of said intermediate plane, said wall plate also having a bottom marginall portion disposed in said intermediate plane and attached tosaid bottom chord flange, and inclined marginal portions side stakes, said wall plate further having other portions connecting said main portion with said top, bottom, and side `marginal portions respectively;

.3. A railway car of the character described having in combination a frame comprising upper and lower chords and side stakes connected between said chords, said upper chord having a wall plate attaching ilan'ge disposed in an inward vertical plane, said lower chord having a wall plate attaching ange'disposed in an intermediate plane located outwardly of said firstnamed plane, and said stakes having wall plate attaching portions disposed in said inward plane and inclined portions extending from said inward plane to said intermediate plane; and a wall plate for said frame having top and side marginal portions disposed in said inward plane and attached to said upperl chord flange and said inwardly disposedV portions vof said side stakes respectively, and a central main portion disposed in ran outward plane located outwardly of said intermediate plane, said wall plate also having a bottom marginal portion disposed in said intermediate plane and attached to said bottom chord ange, and inclined marginal portions joining said side and bottom marginal portions and attached to said inclined portions of said side stakes, said wall plate further having intermediate portions joining said top, bottom and side marginal portions.

4. A railway car of the character described having in combination a frame comprising upper and lower chords and side stakes connected between said chords, said upper chord having a wall plate attaching flange disposed in an inward vertical plane, said lower chord having a wall plate attaching ange disposed in an intermediate plane located outwardly of said rst-named plane, and said stakes having wall plate attach ing portions disposed in said inward plane and inclined portions extending from said inward plane to said intermediate plane; and a wall plate for said frame having top and side marginal portions disposed in said inward plane and attached to said upper chord flange and said inwardly disposed portions of said side stakes respectively, and a central main portion disposed in an outward plane located outwardly of said intermediate plane, said wall plate also having a bottom marginal portion disposed in said intermediate plane and attached to said bottom chord flange, and inclined marginal portions joining said side and bottom marginal portions and attached to said inclined portions of said side stakes, said wall plate further having intermediate portions joining said top, bottom and side marginal portions, and said wall plate further having a central portion disposed in said intermediate plane and positioned to accommodate rivets for holding said wall plate to said frame.

5. A wall plate for railway cars having portions disposed in inward, outward, and intermediate parallel planes, the top and side marginal portions being disposed in said inward plane, the bottom marginal portion being disposed in said intermediate plane, and the main central portion being disposed in said outward plane, said wall plate also having portions joining said central main portion and said marginal portions.

6. A wall plate for railway cars having portions disposed in inward, outward, and intermediate parallel planes, the top and side marginal portions being disposed in said inward plane, the bottom marginal portion being disposed in said intermediate plane, and the main central portion being disposed in said outward plane, said wall plate also having inclined portions joining said central main portion with said top and bottom marginal portions respectively, and other portions joining said central main portion and said side marginal portions.

7. A frame and wall plate construction for railway cars comprising an upper chord having a portion disposed in an inward plane, a wall plate having a main central vportion disposed in an outward plane, a lower chord member having a portion disposed in an intermediate plane, and side stakes connected between said upper and lower chords, said wall plate also having a top marginal portion connected to said upper chord in said inward plane, a bottom marginal portion connected to said bottom chord in said intermediate plane, side marginal portions connected to said side stakes, and central inclined portions connecting said central main portion and said top and bottom marginal portions respectively, and other portions connecting said central main portion and said side marginal portions.

DAVID HINDAHL. 

